Friday, July 08, 2016

Remembering Philando Castile and Demanding Abolition of the System That Targets and Kills People of Color

One colleague at the school where he worked called Philando Castile "Mr Rogers with dreadlocks." Others, adults and children alike, referred to him simply as "Mr. Phil." By many accounts he was phenomenally loved by all.

On Wednesday night, July 6, Castile (left), a 32-year-old cafeteria supervisor at J.J. Hill Montessori School in St. Paul, was lethally shot by a police officer after being pulled over in his car for having a broken taillight. His girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, videoed the aftermath of the shooting and live-streamed it on Facebook. Reynold's young daughter was in the back seat of the vehicle throughout the ordeal.

Castile's death comes just days after the police shooting death of another black man, Alton Sterling, in Baton Rogue, Louisiana, and is the latest in a long list of black lives violently taken by law enforcement in the U.S.

Last night in St. Paul, I joined with approximately 5,000 people at J.J. Hill Montessori School to remember and honor the life of Philando Castile.

Above: A note left by a student outside J.J. Hill Montessori School where Philando Castile worked. (Photo: Ben Garvin)

Justice for Jamar and Mike and Eric and Sandra and Akai and Rekia and thousands would mean they are still alive. With as much love and solidarity and community support for them in the anonymity of everyday life as they have in the glare of death.

I’ll say it again: Stop asking for "justice" from the system that is killing us – Demand Abolition.

Then demand more.

The "system" in the U.S. that is disproportionately killing and incarcerating people of color has its origins in the nation's racist past, in particular the ideology of white supremacy as expressed in the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act. The following diagram from InterracialJawn.com shows how the slave patrols that resulted from this Act and which were charged with apprehending runaway slaves, included practices that play out in modern day law enforcement.

Abolitioning this system requires major soul-searching on the part of U.S. citizens and the radical restructuring of both law enforcement and the criminal justice system.

Above: One of my favorite signs at last night's rally. It says: "My white son will know that black lives matter," I think the main reason I like it is because it offers hope. And I say this with something that happened during the rally in mind. You see, at one point, a teacher shared from the podium how she had struggled that morning to find a response to her daughter who told her: "I'm scared because I don’t know what kind of people human beings are."

I hope this teacher got the chance to see this particular sign and was inspired to return to her daughter and say something like, Honey, human beings are actually all kinds of people and we get to choose everyday to be the type that is good and kind and loving to all we meet, no matter what their skin color, how they look, where they come from, or who they love.

Above and below: Phil Castile's mother, Valerie, address the crowd.

"[My son] did everything by the law and he died by the law, the hand of the law," said Valerie.

Above: St. Paul mayor Chris Coleman speaks to the crowd with a signer beside him interpreting his remarks.

“This is not acceptable in St. Paul.," Coleman said. "This is not acceptable in Baton Rouge. This is not acceptable in Ferguson. This is not acceptable in New York. This is not acceptable anywhere in this country. We will not allow this to happen anymore.”

Earlier in the day at a media conference, Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton spoke about the police shooting death of Phil Castile.

Would this have happened if the driver and the passengers were white? I don't think it would have. So I'm forced to confront, and I think all of us in Minnesota are forced to confront, [the idea that] this kind of racism exists. . . . And it's incumbent upon all of us to vow . . . to do whatever we can to see that it doesn't continue to happen.

Above: With my dear friend Brigid McDonald, CSJ at last night's vigil and march for Philando Castile. Our mutual friend Kathleen took this photo and, when she shared it on Facebook, noted: "Two of my dear ones at J.J. Hill Montessori in the circle of love and outrage for Mr. Phil."

I close with the wise and compassionate words of my friend and fellow Spirit of St. Stephen's Catholic Community member Cathy Heying which she shared on Facebook yesterday, July 7.

Last night in the Twin Cities another brown skinned man was needlessly killed by the police. There are so many things I know and so many things I don't know right now.

• I know that I'm hearing a lot about what a good man Phil Castile was. That's awesome. I hope that has absolutely no bearing on whether or not we believe he should have died in this manner.

• I know that police officers manage to pull over and even arrest many white people every day without killing them.

• I know that my friends who are pro-gun and pro-concealed carry are being awfully silent about this. Reportedly, Phil Castile was exercising his 2nd amendment rights that many hold so dear and I expected/hoped that perhaps, at the least, you might stand in solidarity for that reason. I hope and pray that your silence is not because he is black. (If a white farmer from the south suffered this same fate for reaching for his license and his carry permit, would you be outraged?)

• I know that I fail at speaking out about this all the time. And I know that my skin color allows me to forget about it whenever I want.

• I know that I should be willing to engage in constructive conversation with people who disagree with me on this. Right now I'm not. The sin is so great that I cannot even imagine how anyone can disagree. I cannot meet you in a middle ground.

• I don't know what to say to my friends of color who live in fear every day about whether or not they will live through being pulled over for a broken tail light.

• I don't know what to say to my white friends who continue to insist that this isn't about race. Do you even realize what a privilege it is to say that sentence?

• I don't know how to help change things, to be a strong ally, or what steps to take. But ignorance or fear is not an excuse for doing nothing.

I know that all lives matter, including, of course, the police. But I also know that right now we need to pay particular attention to the black lives among us. Theirs is the house that is burning.

I established The Wild Reed in 2006 as a sign of solidarity with all who are dedicated to living lives of integrity – though, in particular, with gay people seeking to be true to both the gift of their sexuality and their Catholic faith. The Wild Reed's original by-line read, "Thoughts and reflections from a progressive, gay, Catholic perspective." As you can see, it reads differently now. This is because my journey has, in many ways, taken me beyond, or perhaps better still, deeper into the realities that the words "progressive," "gay," and "Catholic" seek to describe.

Even though reeds can symbolize frailty, they may also represent the strength found in flexibility. Popular wisdom says that the green reed which bends in the wind is stronger than the mighty oak which breaks in a storm. Tall green reeds are associated with water, fertility, abundance, wealth, and rebirth. The sound of a reed pipe is often considered the voice of a soul pining for God or a lost love.

On September 24, 2012,Michael BaylyofCatholics for Marriage Equality MNwas interviewed by Suzanne Linton of Our World Today about same-sex relationships and why Catholics can vote 'no' on the proposed Minnesota anti-marriage equality amendment.

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